Heading off on that caravan and camping trip to regional Australia has just become that much safer.

Announced this morning by Health Minister the Hon Greg Hunt MP at BIG4 Mornington Peninsula Holiday Park, the Federal Government will invest $1 million to subsidise the installation of defibrillators into over 1000 caravan parks across the country.

Caravan Industry Association of Australia CEO Stuart Lamont welcomed the funding as an exciting and yet common-sense initiative that will save the lives of some Australians who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest while caravanning.

Mr Lamont said, “Caravan parks are popular holiday destinations – particularly with senior Australians who are at an increased risk of heart attack.”

“We also know that in rural and regional areas it can take longer for an ambulance to arrive, given the distances they sometimes have to travel.  This program will ensure that if a person suffers a heart attack in a caravan park that lifesaving help is close to hand”

Returning Home Safely

“Anything we can do to make sure that Australians going away caravanning return home safely to their loved ones is a great thing,” Mr Lamont said.

This investment by the Federal government will positively impact on the survival chances of those suffering a cardiac arrest in regional Australia which will support both local communities and caravanners alike.

90 Percent Chance of Survival

“Research shows that if a person is defibrillated within the first five minutes of collapse, their chance of survival is around 90 per cent,” Minister Hunt said.

“For every minute that this is delayed, the chances of survival decrease by up to 10 per cent.”

“This initiative will save and protect lives,” Minister Hunt said.

As part of this initiative, a further commitment of 1000 defibrillators have also been made to Men’s Sheds around the country in conjunction with St Johns.

Caravan Industry Association of Australia would like to thank Senator Bridget McKenzie (Minister for Rural Health) and Minister Greg Hunt for their support of the caravanning community, and recognising the importance of protecting the lives of the 11 million Australians who undergo a caravanning or camping holiday adventure annually.

VicParks officially launched its new Community Welcomes Recreational Vehicles program at the Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine headquarters on Wednesday 16th December with its Launch Partner, the City of Greater Geelong.
This new national program highlights towns, destinations and regions which are ‘recreational vehicle (RV) friendly’, though a consistent welcoming message plus the appropriate facilities and information required for RV travellers.
The City of Geelong was chosen as Launch Partner because of its already strong support for RV travellers and its commitment to providing even more resources and support for RV travellers in the future.
The launch was attended by representatives from the City of Greater Geelong, local caravan parks, and industry associations that provide RVs and camping equipment to the public.
“This program provides this city and our region with the opportunity to sound out our strong welcome to RV travellers to visit our area,” said Roger Grant, Executive Director of Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine.

“We have so many beautiful sights, experiences and destinations to visit and we want to assist RV travellers to stay and see as much as possible,” Mr Grant added.
The City of Greater Geelong will also provide welcome packs to RV travellers at various locations and ‘short-stay-long-bay’ parking spaces in shopping areas.
“The program offers visitors the opportunity to collect a welcome pack detailing where to go and what to do, as well as offering information on where to stay, where to find dump points, and more.” said Elizabeth White, CEO of VicParks.
“I congratulate the City of Greater Geelong for its proactive initiative in setting up ‘short-stay-long-bay’ parking spots to make it easier for RV travellers to park to shop, sightsee and generally enjoy all that the City has to offer,” Ms White added.
RV travel in Australia is a booming industry with over 550,000 caravans, motorhomes and other industry products registered nationwide, an increase of 34% since 2008.
With more travellers choosing RVs to explore our great country, VicParks looks forward to partnering with more councils in the near future.

https://vicparks.com.au/